Look to Declaration

March 5, 2013Letters to the Editor

Both sides of the gun control debate look to the Second Amendment to make their points.

But to understand the Second Amendment, and really all of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution, one must read the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence rightfully states that men (and women) are endowed by their Creator with their rights — in other words, not by men or government.

If rights would be granted by men or government, they could be taken away by the same.

The Bill of Rights describes those unalienable rights for all people, simply by their being. The language of the text clearly indicates the rights are not to be infringed and should be protected by the government, but are not granted by the government.

That is why President Barack Obama calls the Constitution a document of negative rights. That is because he views the government entity and collectivism to be of greater importance than an individual’s liberty and freedom.

As the gun control debate continues, we must remember it is not about controlling guns, but about controlling people, and government attempting to infringe upon our unalienable rights — rights never granted by the government in the first place.